Class let out with no fanfare, though Chansung felt like there ought to be trumpets playing and confetti falling from the sky. It was finally the weekend, and thanks to him always being on top of things on the syllabus, he had already finished most of the homework due for next week. He had a few things to knock out on Sunday night but for Saturday and most of Sunday, he would be free.

There was a bounce in his step as he moved out of the classroom and down the nearly empty hallways, the time difference of college classes meaning that not all of them let out at the same time. The solitude was comfortable, and as he descended the steps leading into the building, he allowed a smile to come over his face.

He had big plans this weekend. Oh, no, not like the plans that many of his classmates probably had: his had nothing to do with drinking or parties of any kind. In fact, he was pretty sure that most people would find his plans pretty boring, but he was excited for them. He was going to spend the weekend in his house, watching a marathon of the DVDs he’d rented specifically for this. He’d been anxiously eying them for the last two days as they sat in his living room, the dark and mysterious collection being something that he really loved indulging in. Fantasy and sci-fi… there was nothing like it.

His apartment, like many other college kids, was near the campus, and so he didn’t even mind the lack of a car as he made his way home. The late fall air was cold but there was no snow on the ground, and so he enjoyed the brisk walk through the darkening city. When he arrived home, he dropped his book bag to the floor beside the door and decided that it could stay there until Sunday night: he didn’t even want to think about school this weekend. He hung his coat and kicked off his shoes before moving toward the kitchen to find something to snack on while enjoying his marathon.

A quick foray into the fridge and cabinets proved that he had nothing to eat, though, and so with a longing sigh toward his couch and television, he pulled his coat and shoes back on and headed out the door to go get refreshments.

It was a short walk in the opposite direction to go to the nearest convenience store, but when he paid and gathered his plastic bags, the sun was already down and he wasn’t looking forward to the walk back to his apartment. It was a good enough neighborhood here, but he knew that when the sun went down the worst people in the neighborhood seemed to come out of the woodwork. With a sigh, he tucked his wallet back into his pocket and headed out the door.

Only about had a block down he noticed a group of young guys following him, their laughter loud and their movements a little wavering. He could tell they were drunk, but he couldn’t imagine them bothering him… or at least he didn’t think so.

Just to be safe, he ducked into a nearby alleyway as they gained on him, hoping that they would pass him by. Maybe they were headed for the restaurant across the street, where some pour soul in a panda costume stood on the corner and waved a sign telling about a sale on sticky rice. To Chansung’s dismay, though, the group of men turned the corner after him, and one called out to him immediately.

“Nice of you to wait up for us,” he teased, and Chansung’s heart made its way into his throat as he suddenly wished that he had just stayed home and not gone out for snacks. The group came closer and he did the only thing he could think of: he held out the bags full of chips and candy.

“Here, take,” he said, and the guys laughed.

“Not what we want,” the lead one spoke again, his eyes sharp in the new darkness, and Chansung felt his mouth go dry. He reached for his wallet to try and offer that to them instead, and that was when they moved.

The first strike was a kick for his knee, and it connected hard, dropping him to the ground with a cry as he fell on top of one of his grocery bags. He could hear the crunch of bone - no wait, that was his chips getting crushed – and then a sharp shriek arose from one of the men even as Chansung raised his hands to protect his face.

“What the…” one of the mean started, and a loud thunk stopped his outraged cry, turning it into a wail of pain. Chansung chanced as glance up when he realized that no blows were falling on him, and what he saw made him want to pinch himself to be sure he wasn’t dreaming.

A panda swung a big wooden weapon at Chansung’s assailants, driving them back down toward the mouth of the alley, several with bruised or bloodied spots. The last of them finally turned tail and ran, and the panda turned and hurried back to Chan